Strangers With Familiar Faces
by Sunfreak
Summary: Kagome’s finally made it into a decent high school, and she’s about to discover a few people that she thought she knew all over again.
1. Making The Grade

A/N: I was going to wait on starting this fic, but it just wouldn't leave me alone. ^_^;; So here's another multipart story for me to be working on in my admittedly limited spare time.  
  
  
  
"Making the Grade"  
  
  
  
High school sucks. It's a fact that is generally agreed upon by all high school students, even though their parents repeatedly assure them that it will eventually be considered the best four years of their lives- a disturbing thought, indeed.  
  
Higurashi Kagome, however, was just glad that she'd gotten in. She was an excellent student, but it probably would've been far, far easier to make it into a decent school had she not been chasing youkai, jewel shards, dead priestesses, and men in monkey costumes through the feudal ages for most of her spare time, little of it as she had. As it was, she hadn't exactly been able to pick and choose, and therefore wasn't in the same school as any of her junior high girlfriends.  
  
All the same, she was enormously grateful not to have failed the entrance exams, as Inu-Yasha had so sincerely hoped. If she wasn't in school, he reasoned, they could search for the shards of the Shikon Jewel full-time. The heartfelt expression of this sentiment the very day of said entrance exams had earned the poor fool ten sits in a row, which had done a great deal towards stress relief for Kagome but left him limping for the rest of the week. Miroku and Shippou had been excessively amused; Kaede and Sango, annoyed by his stupid testosterone and inability to admit that the only thing he really wanted to do was get Kagome in bed. Unfortunately, Inu-Yasha was rather stupid (just ask one of his many, many rivals/sworn enemies), even for a youkai, and lacking both charm and patience, so it was more or less a pointless exercise.  
  
Last night he had again attempted to seduce the lovely lady Kagome with his coarse manners, poor hygiene, and sweet nothings of "bitch" and "damned woman". Surprisingly enough, this dashing young Romeo of the feudal period had only succeeded in seriously pissing off his fair Juliet and shamelessly ruining her beauty sleep, then being "sat" from a second-story window. Twice.  
  
The repercussions of his stubborn libido lasted until the next day (although Kagome certainly hadn't known he was trying to get her into bed without any kind of formal courtship or marriage license to precede the event, else she'd have sat him harder), when our young heroine Kagome found herself waking up late for her first day of high school. A few colorful curses about dog demons later, she was out the door with the last bite of breakfast still in her mouth and wearing her spiffy new uniform of a maroon blazer, skirt, and green tie. But enough with the fashion show.  
  
Because unfortunately for poor Kagome, she was about to get in a hell of a lot more trouble than she needed- beginning with the runaway ramen cart on its way to colliding with her well dressed little body.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
To be continued. 


	2. People I Have Been

A/N: Cue the first disclaimer that I have ever bothered to write. *ahem* Inu-Yasha is not mine, Kagome is not mine, Shippou is not mine, Sango is not mine. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi. And Miroku belongs to Sesshoumaru- ah, oops. Wrong fic . . . ^_^;;  
  
I've had this written for a while now, but I couldn't get at the computer to post it, so I apologize to my wonderful reviewers. I've never gotten so many just for a prologue! It inspired me terribly as far as this story goes, but I do have a lot of others to write in . . . So remember, if ya want more fast, you gotta review! *hinthint*  
  
  
  
"People I Have Been"  
  
  
  
Something collided with Kagome head-on, a distant but deafening crash echoing in her ears and her body hitting the asphalt with a bone-jarring thud. She slowly lifted her head, dazed into seeing spots, and the figure of her "rescuer" loomed over her and grinned crookedly.  
  
"'Lo. Still alive, then?" it greeted, and she blinked in surprise. It was Miroku.  
  
"What happened?" she asked weakly. "Did something attack us?"  
  
"Well, ya see that nasty-lookin' mess over there?" Miroku said dryly, pointing behind her to a mangled wooden heap smashed up against the brick wall of the arcade. "That ramen cart in the middle o' it tried ta kill ya when I came out of my apartment."  
  
"Ramen cart?" Kagome repeated blankly.  
  
"Ramen cart," Miroku confirmed.  
  
"The ones that sell ramen?" she said in disbelief. Since when were there ramen carts in the feudal period? . . . Come to think of it, since when did Miroku even know what an apartment was, much less have one?  
  
"Ya got a concussion or somethin'?" he asked, peering at her a bit more closely. Kagome returned the favor and discovered a few slightly disturbing things. One, Miroku's ponytail was gone- cut off. Two, he'd pierced the cartilage of his left ear at some point. And three . . . he was wearing one of the boys' school uniforms from her high school- not to mention talking like a boy from her high school.  
  
"You cut your hair," she said finally.  
  
He blinked in surprise. "Yeah- yesterday mornin'. Got sick of brushin' it so much. How'd ya know?"  
  
"Because it's shorter," Kagome replied with a slightly hysterical laugh, getting to her feet. He made no move to follow, and it actually took her a moment to figure out why.  
  
Those pretty new skirts were a bit shorter than she'd realized.  
  
"PERVERT!" Kagome shrieked, turning bright red and throwing her schoolbag at his upturned face in a very Sango-esque way.  
  
Miroku recovered with his usual amazing stamina, sighed contently, and rolled to his feet. "Worth every bruise," he proclaimed to no one in particular as he returned Kagome's bag and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Naughty girl, wearin' black panties ta school."  
  
She turned even redder. "You just wait until I tell Inu-Yasha about this," she threatened.  
  
"Inu-Yasha?" Miroku cocked his head at her curiously. "Izzat yer boyfriend?"  
  
"Ack!" Kagome's face went literally purple. "That's not funny!"  
  
"No boyfriend, eh? So that means yer free Friday night?" He leaned over and grinned at her. "After I saved yer pretty little neck from bein' snapped, I think it's only fair I get ta give it a kiss or two."  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes and resumed her walk to school, not surprised to find him following her. "Why not?" she agreed with a sigh. That was how she usually dealt with romantic overtures anyway, especially in . . . her . . . own . . . time. Um. "How did you get here again?"  
  
He grinned. "Motorcycle. Need a ride?"  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" 'Toofasttoofasttoofast . . .' Kagome chanted mentally. 'WAY too freaking fast . . .'  
  
"Ain't it such a rush?!" Miroku yelled back to her over the roar of the wind.  
  
"I'M GOING TO DIE!" the girl screamed, tightening her grip on the monk's shoulders and burying her face in his back. He just laughed. "Where in hell did you get this thing?!"  
  
Miroku screeched to a stop in the school parking lot and flashed her a grin over his shoulder. "Bought it," he replied casually. "Saved up over the summer with my paychecks from work."  
  
" 'Work'?" Kagome asked in disbelief. "What'd you DO, hunt down a mob of youkai?!"  
  
He laughed and helped her off the bike. "That'd be cool," he said. "I'd banish 'em with my supreme magic!" Miroku struck a heroic pose and flexed his muscles so ridiculously that she had to laugh despite herself.  
  
"Makoto-samaaa!" a voice suddenly shouted from behind them, and a small throng of giggling girls instantly surrounded Miroku, whose grin became slightly strained around the edges.  
  
"Girls, how nice ta see ya again," he said tightly. "I didn't know you'd be going ta this school. In fact, I was pretty damn SURE ya weren't."  
  
"We applied when we heard you got in!" one of them chirped. "We wouldn't leave you by yourself!"  
  
Miroku twitched slightly; then very carefully put on a sufficiently regretful expression. "Oh, but didn't cha know?" He grabbed the startled Kagome by the waist. "I have a girlfriend now. Met 'er over the summer at work; she's a lovely girl, ain't cha, honeycakes? We're madly in love; ya know how it is. Dreadful sorry an' all that."  
  
"What are you doing?" Kagome hissed at him, blushing brilliantly as the girls all glared at her.  
  
"Just go with it," he muttered out of the side of his mouth. "I'll make it up ta ya later, 'kay?"  
  
"Oh, you know Houshi-sama?" Kagome asked the hostile trio in a friendly and overly polite tone. 'I'm going to kill you in about five seconds if you don't have a DAMN good explanation for this, Miroku . . .' she added mentally.  
  
" 'Houshi-sama'?" the girls asked in dubious unison.  
  
Miroku laughed nervously. "Oh, ya know how it is with girls an' pet names," he said dismissively. "S'posed ta be funny 'n' all." The girls did not look particularly amused, and Kagome had the vague suspicion that this was perhaps not the best way to start off at a new school.  
  
"Well," one of the girls said finally. "That's very nice, Makoto-sama. I hope you're happy."  
  
"'Course we are!" he chirped even as Kagome frowned slightly.  
  
' "Makoto-sama"? They called him that before, too,' she realized with confusion as Miroku quickly started towards the front door, his arm still slung around her waist and slipping . . .  
  
"Hands north of the equator, or lose them," Kagome said sweetly.  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Miroku replied quickly, retracting the offending body part. "Sorry 'bout them girls, by the way. They're brats, 'n' they wanna bed me."  
  
"And you said no?" Kagome gave him a dubious look as he held the door open for her. "Why do I find that hard to believe?"  
  
"Hey, even sex gods have some degree of restraint!" Miroku protested, looking wounded.  
  
"Yes, but what about YOU?" Kagome asked innocently, slipping inside the building.  
  
"That there, that was a low blow, honeycakes," Miroku said, pointing an accusing finger at her but still smirking in amusement. Then his expression turned serious. "I don't wanna fuck 'em 'cause they're bitches, 'kay? They pick on nice girls fer the hell of it an' act like they're doing me a favor when they drape 'emselves over me. They'd never date me or be seen around town with me, and if anyone asks 'em, I'm a fuckin' sex offender and a druggie, but they're the ones who cheat on their boyfriends and pop pills and tequila at the parties. The worst I've done is sneak a cig or two between classes, get drunk off my pop's liquor cabinet, and sleep with a couple of girls I wasn't in love with."  
  
"Long speech," Kagome observed a bit dryly.  
  
Miroku sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Believe me, it gets a lot o' use, but nobody ever bothers ta believe it. Well, Sei-chan an' Akito-kun do, but they've known me since I was eight, an' they're kinda on the gullible side anyway."  
  
Kagome laughed, though she was slightly puzzled. This most definitely wasn't Miroku. She probably should've realized that as soon as he'd asked her out, of course, but that wasn't the point. The point was that he looked exactly like the monk. Well, almost. Miroku never smirked- or at least not like THAT. Though this was good news in a bizarre and possibly youkai- related way- she'd made a modern-day friend before she'd even gotten to her homeroom.  
  
"An' by the by, the name's Obana Makoto. Class 3, freshman," the Miroku look-alike told her, bobbing his head in something like a bow.  
  
"Higurashi Kagome. Also Class 3," she replied politely, bowing more fully in return. "Nice to meet you, Obana-san."  
  
He grimaced. "Call me that again an' I'm drivin' my bike off the roof. It's Makoto. Ya can add the -san if ya have ta, but I'd rather only get a -kun." His grin turned slightly suggestive. "Or maybe a -koi . . ."  
  
Kagome smacked him with her bookbag again. "Idiot," she declared, but was unable to keep the affectionate undertone out of her voice.  
  
"Here's our class," Makoto observed, pointing up at the sign above the nearest door. "See ya later- I can't be on time my first day; it'd give a bad impression, y'know?" She rolled her eyes at that and he flashed her a grin before trotting off.  
  
Kagome entered the classroom, slightly exasperated but undeniably amused, and immediately fell flat on her face as she tripped over another girl's leg. She looked up straight into the glaring face of one of the trio from outside.  
  
'Oh, cookie crumbles.'  
  
"Get up. You're in the way," the girl ordered as her friends snickered.  
  
"You okay, Higurashi?" another voice asked, and Kagome found a hand in front of her face, and the infamous Hojou of Class B, now evidently of Class 3, before her.  
  
"Yes," she replied, sending an icy glare at the girl who'd tripped her. The girl looked suddenly nervous, and she had every reason to. Kagome had learned her glare from the more murderous incarnation of Kikyou, and she had learned it very, very well. "Thank you, Hojou-kun."  
  
"Anytime," the somewhat oblivious boy promised, blushing slightly. He still liked her then, Kagome realized with an inward sigh. How many times had she stood him up that he'd still think so highly of her? He was almost as bad as Kouga . . . although at least Hojou hadn't kidnapped her. Yet. Not that he ever would, of course . . .  
  
Probably not, anyway. One could never really be sure about Hojou. He had done some pretty unusual things for her in the past, and he certainly wasn't much for traditional courtship- one of the only characteristics he happened to have in common with dear Inu-Yasha of the cute doggy ears and big dirty mouth.  
  
"Slut," one of the three whispered as soon as Hojou seemed safely out of earshot.  
  
Before Kagome could even react, Hojou spun around with impressive speed, slamming his hands down on the girl's desk, which made a dangerous screeching sound, and oh-so-sweetly asked: "Did you say something, Miss? I didn't quite hear."  
  
"N- nothing," the girl choked, eyes wide with alarm.  
  
"Good." Hojou smiled benignly and patted her on the head. She cringed, and, apparently satisfied, Hojou made his way back to his seat while Kagome and the other three stared after him.  
  
"Scary," the second of the girls mumbled, shivering.  
  
"Did you see his face? I thought he was going to kill you for a second there," the third added incredulously. The first girl just whimpered and sunk down in her seat. Kagome gave a low, appreciative whistle, and Hojou blushed.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
True to his word, Makoto arrived midway through roll call amidst a cacophony of dreamy sighs and snickers, mostly depending on the gender of their origin.  
  
"Yo!" he greeted the room at large, trotting past the annoyed teacher and his even more annoyed fangirls to take the empty seat next to Kagome and behind Hojou, both of whom turned to give him a half-amused, half-exasperated look.  
  
A muscle twitched in the teacher's cheek, but he went on gallantly with: "Higurashi."  
  
"Present," Kagome replied politely, smacking Makoto's hand away from her butt.  
  
"Hojou."  
  
"Here," Hojou answered, ignoring the paper clip which Makoto had tossed at him with inhuman ease.  
  
"Hojou," the teacher repeated.  
  
"Here," Hojou reiterated somewhat dryly amidst muffled laughter from his classmates and a small rain of paper clips.  
  
The teacher gave him a look, and then said: "Hojou Seira." No one answered, though Makoto and Hojou both looked surprised by the name.  
  
The teacher went on, getting as far as "Ueda Katsuya" before the door skidded open again and a dark-haired girl with a bob cut darted into the room, immediately slipping, falling on her butt, and giving the class an excellent, if brief, view of her underwear. Kagome blinked in surprise, then noticed that the other was shoeless, wearing only loose, knee-high socks, the bottoms of which were dirty and grass-stained.  
  
The girl sniffled and stumbled to her stocking feet, quickly bowing in the teacher's general direction. "Sensei-san! I'm very sorry I'm late, please don't be angry!" she begged tearfully, and Kagome noticed a few of her classmates sharing smirks not unlike those that a predator who has just found the weakest member of the herd might wear.  
  
'Somebody really picked the wrong day to get hazed,' she realized with a wince. Then the archer frowned slightly and cocked her head. That face . . . where had she seen that face?  
  
"Sei-chan!" Makoto jumped out of his seat, waving madly to her and wearing a bright smile. The girl turned a brilliant shade of red.  
  
Oh.  
  
Sango's look-alike dashed to the only empty desk, which happened to be on Kagome's left, and practically threw herself into it as if seeking refuge.  
  
"Hojou Seira?" the teacher asked with a cold glare.  
  
"Here," the girl whispered; then promptly buried her face in her knapsack.  
  
"Wonderful," he replied sarcastically. "And since you seem to know Obana here SO well, you can go stand in the hall together for being late."  
  
Seira's blush only darkened, and she quickly got back up. "Yes, sir!" She scurried outside, and Makoto followed lazily, pausing only to smack Hojou upside the head and wink at Kagome, who once again found reason to roll her eyes at him.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
That afternoon during lunch, Kagome was not particularly surprised at being confronted by a half-dozen girls, including the three from that morning, as soon as she stepped outside. Somehow she doubted that it was small talk they had in mind, seeing as the whole situation read just like a bad school manga.  
  
"Hello," she greeted simply.  
  
"Hello," retorted the leader of the group, identified as Takeuchi Shikako during roll. Kagome was almost impressed. She knew very few people who could make a one-word greeting sound like an insult, and most of them were either evil youkai or dead and thusly rather bitter by nature.  
  
"You're pretty uppity for somebody without any friends," one of the newer girls observed. "You think Makoto-sama will bother to protect you?"  
  
"I don't need anyone's protection," Kagome replied evenly, shifting her weight as slightly and smoothly as she could. 'Keep your weight on the balls of your feet, make sure to have an eye on your back, and never, ever let them see you sweat . . .' All useful bits of advice that had been drilled into her head over and over again by Sango, Miroku, and even occasionally Inu- Yasha or Shippou when they felt like it.  
  
"Have it your way," another said easily.  
  
"Come with us," Shikako ordered, tilting her head towards the back of the school.  
  
"Like hell I will," Kagome scoffed.  
  
"You think you have a choice?" the second member of the original trio asked coldly- what was her name? Mika?  
  
"Higurashi!" Hojou suddenly appeared at her side, smiling as sweetly as ever. "You feeling okay today?"  
  
"Eh?" She gave him an odd look. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"  
  
"Well, you got over your scarlet fever so quickly . . . " he began. "I was just afraid you might be pushing yourself."  
  
Kagome twitched slightly. "Oh. The scarlet fever. Yeah. Um, forgot about that, Hojou-kun," she lied. "But I feel perfectly fine! Honest!" she added hastily.  
  
"That's great!" He beamed at her, and not for the first time did she feel remarkably guilty to be lying to such a trusting and devoted person. "I'm so glad you're better now. You were so sick this summer, after all."  
  
"Uh . . . yeah," she said softly, suddenly feeling about as low as dirt. Usually her conversations with Hojou were too rushed to fit any significant guilt trip into the mix. "I . . . I guess I was." The girls in front of them were smirking nastily, though Hojou didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Liar, liar . . ." Shikako sang softly, and Hojou gave her a genuinely bemused look. Not everyone was as naïve as he was, it seemed.  
  
"Eat with me?" she asked him quietly. His face broke out into his usual sweet smile again, all thoughts of Shikako and her cronies forgotten.  
  
"Sure!" he said happily, and Kagome took his hand, giving Shikako and the others one last glare.  
  
'I won't let them judge me,' she thought fiercely. 'And I won't have them thinking so little of him either. I owe him that much, don't I?' She followed Hojou across the campus to a tall tree, finding two twice-familiar faces under it.  
  
"'lo, Akito-kun, Kagome-chan!" Obana Makoto greeted them cheerfully. "Wanna cigarette?"  
  
"Akito-kun. Higurashi-san." Hojou Seira's face was grave but not unkind, and far more composed than it had been that morning.  
  
"Hello," Kagome said almost shyly as Hojou plopped to the ground next to them. For the first time, she realized that she had not known his first name until that moment, and her face was burning with embarrassment by the time she joined them.  
  
Makoto waved his cigarettes at the other three again. Seira and Hojou both accepted one, but Kagome silently shook her head in refusal. The lighter was offered next, with Makoto smirking knowingly, but neither even glanced at it. Instead, Seira dropped her cigarette into her pencil case to join at least a dozen others of varying age, and Hojou's hung unlit from his mouth.  
  
"I didn't realize that you knew each other," Kagome observed after a moment of silence that had been comfortable for the other three but made her unaccountably nervous.  
  
Hojou shrugged. "We've been friends since forever. Seira an' I are cousins, and she and Makoto live in the same apartment building, so we've hung out a lot, even though we all went to different junior highs," he explained.  
  
"Don't tell me- yer THE Higurashi Kagome?" Makoto looked terrifically amused. "Of all the weird-ass coincidences . . ."  
  
" 'THE Higurashi Kagome'?" she repeated dryly. "What's that supposed to mean?" Hojou turned bright red. 'Oh. Duh, Kagome.'  
  
"Anyway," Hojou said quickly, "that's enough of that."  
  
Seira smiled very faintly. "Akito-kun, there IS no enough when you talk about Higurashi Kagome. He can go on for hours," she informed the other girl. "It's cute, in a desperate way."  
  
Hojou looked pained. "Shut up, Sei-chan," he muttered, dropping his head into his hands.  
  
"It's only the truth, dear," she said patiently, patting him on the head. "There, there, Akito-kun; even the great 'Makoto- sama' has been turned down by girls before. I think. Perhaps once. A very long time ago . . . "  
  
"You're really not helping, you know," he told her through gritted teeth.  
  
This girl, SHE was a bit more like the Sango that Kagome knew so well. But even so, not really. It was something like seeing the demon exterminator through a series of badly warped mirrors.  
  
And then she finally sensed them.  
  
Shikon shards.  
  
Kagome briefly wondered if it was still too early in their friendship to ask Makoto and Seira if she could cut open their stomachs and extract pieces of a mythical jewel.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
To be continued. 


	3. Curiouser and Curiouser

A/N: Yes, Anie, this is Laura's requested fic. Also, a note to tenshineko- when the trio was hanging all over Makoto in the beginning, they and Kagome were the only ones around. In class, the other females in the room were the ones swooning. Sorry if that wasn't really clear before. And yes, Hojou is indeed going to be a serious contender for Kagome's affections, just because I think he rocks.  
  
  
  
"Curiouser and Curiouser"  
  
  
  
Kagome was having a very tiring day.  
  
For starters, she'd barely slept four hours last night, thanks to her insensitive boyfriend ('NOT my boyfriend, where the hell did THAT come from?!'), and the morning had begun with an attack by a rabid ramen cart. She was SO sick of ramen.  
  
After that, a lunatic who was wearing one of her best friend's faces had broken every speed limit on earth with his motorcycle while she was ON it, and had announced to his personal fan club that they were madly in love. Next, said fan club had started harassing her, at which point the sweet boy who'd liked her since junior high had flipped out and scared the bejeezus out of the entire class.  
  
. . . Okay, maybe that last bit wasn't so bad.  
  
And all that before the morning bell had even rung! Kagome simply couldn't bear to go on and had cut out after lunch for what was probably the first time ever. But she'd promised the stupid dog-boy that she'd drop by this afternoon to schedule another Shikon search, so here she was, tumbling down a magic well and barely resisting the urge to idly remark: "Curiouser and curiouser" to a passing marmalade jar for the umpteenth time.  
  
She climbed out of the well and came face to face with Inu- Yasha's usual scowl.  
  
"I hate you," he informed her without any form of hesitation.  
  
"Then go to Hell," she retorted. "Or you could just SIT."  
  
The hanyou hit the ground face-first and Kagome used him as a stepping stool, careful to trod on his hair. Across the clearing, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou were watching them, clearly finding the whole situation terrifically funny.  
  
"Hi, guys!" she called cheerfully, waving at them. "Miss me?"  
  
"KAGOMEEEE!" Shippou hurled himself into her arms and she laughed.  
  
"Kagome-chan!" Sango embraced her, as did Miroku, who the exterminator promptly beat into submission with her boomerang as both of his hands found purchase on someone else's buttocks.  
  
"You guys won't believe who I saw today!" Kagome began excitedly, only to be interrupted by Inu-Yasha's sudden appearance at her side.  
  
"It was that bastard Hojou!" he accused. "I can smell him on you, dammit! He was touching you!"  
  
Kagome reflexively flared. "God forbid I speak to any other man but you!" she yelled.  
  
Inu-Yasha glared at her. "You smell like a stranger, too- like you were hugging him! Who was it? Tell me!"  
  
"It was only Makoto-kun!" she snapped, clenching her fists. "He gave me a ride to school, for God's sake! I'm about as romantically inclined towards him as I am to Miroku-sama!"  
  
Miroku sighed. "Thank you, Kagome-sama," he said wryly.  
  
"I didn't mean it like that-!" she tried to explain.  
  
"Ah-ha! So you ARE attracted to him!" Inu-Yasha yelled triumphantly, pointing a finger right in her face. "I knew it!"  
  
"I am not! And why the hell do you even care?!" she shrieked. "You're the one who's always insulting me! And everyone knows you like Kikyou better!"  
  
"Says who?!" he shouted right back. "For all you know about me, I could be in love with you and you wouldn't even fucking CARE!"  
  
"Bastard!" she screamed.  
  
"Bitch!" he howled.  
  
"SIT!"  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Kaede was a relatively old woman, especially considering the times. In modern-day Japan, she would probably be living peacefully in a small apartment in the city, or perhaps retired in a modest country home.  
  
Unfortunately for her sanity, she lived in the feudal era with a bunch of defenseless villagers and a whiny hanyou. So "peace" was not often an option. When Inu-Yasha was around, he caused trouble; and when he WASN'T around, other demons caused trouble. It was far from what one might consider a win-win situation.  
  
Then again, curiously enough, she could consider herself happy.  
  
"SITSITSITSITSIT!"  
  
*SMACK*  
  
Then again, maybe she was just getting senile.  
  
The priestess resignedly watched a girl wearing her dead sister's face storm into the village, followed by an angry exterminator, a bouncy kitsune, and two young men, both nursing various bruises. All the usual suspects were present. Lucky, lucky her.  
  
Kaede chuckled more than a little ruefully and went to greet Kagome. No point in being rude; no matter how bizarre the guests were.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
'Bastard!' Kagome shrieked mentally. ' Let's see if I tell HIM anything about Makoto-kun and Seira-san's Shikon shards!'  
  
  
  
* tbc . . . *  
  
  
  
A/N: Well, if anyone has any ideas for this fic, my outline is still very flexible, so review and tell me! I may like it and throw it in- I've already made several changes in the original plan. Remember, reviews and good ideas equal faster updates for you!  
  
*beware: this author is absolutely shameless* 


	4. Back To School, and Yes, Back In Trouble

A/N: Whee, new chappie! I think this story gets more reviews per chapter than anything else I'm writing. ^_^ Don't disappoint me, and I won't disappoint you- we've got thought-provoking questions, shamelessly perverted humor, and mysterious bishounen ahead, and all for those loyal readers out there on the Information Superhighway!  
  
  
  
"Back To School, and Yes- Back In Trouble"  
  
  
  
"I can't stay, Inu-Yasha. I have school tomorrow, and I've already missed most of the week," Kagome said in an irritated voice, swinging a leg over the side of the well after the end of their latest brief, unsuccessful Shikon shard quest. "I don't even have my bag with me."  
  
Inu-Yasha was unsympathetic. "Fuck school! Fuck your bag!" he shouted. "Completing the jewel is more important!"  
  
"Only to YOU!" she snapped.  
  
Inu-Yasha glared at her for a moment, practically shaking with rage, and Kagome took her chance to escape into the Bone Eater's Well.  
  
"You know," he yelled after her, "the longer you take on your side of the well, the more people die on this one!"  
  
Kagome looked up at him, paled, and then she was gone.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
The next morning in the schoolyard, Kagome was unsurprised to find Takeuchi Shikako and a handful of her friends waiting for her at the front gate. She was equally unsurprised to find herself being shoved around, threatened, and getting really pissed off.  
  
Shikako, however, was QUITE surprised to be literally lifted off the ground by the back of her skirt and thrown over someone's shoulder in the traditional fireman's hold. She shrieked in outrage and the person holding her winced.  
  
"That's so loud," Hojou complained, plugging an ear with his free hand. "Sei-chan, this sucks."  
  
"Yeah, whatever," Seira huffed, cracking her knuckles and giving the other girls a glare. "What's all this, huh? Picking on Higurashi-san her first day back? That's low, Takeuchi."  
  
"L-let go of me, you freak!" Shikako yelled, struggling rather pointlessly and hammering her fists on Hojou's back.  
  
Kagome's eyebrows raised in surprise. Hojou was much stronger then she'd realized- he easily held Shikako on one shoulder and didn't even seem to notice the weight, much less the bully's curses and blows.  
  
"You LOSERS!" Shikako shrieked in frustration as Hojou gave Kagome a sweet smile and then started towards the front doors.  
  
"Don't want to be late for homeroom, Takeuchi-san," he chirped. "And it's Shindo-sensei teaching after lunch, remember?  
  
"Ohhh . . . "  
  
Kagome blinked as every girl present suddenly got a rather enchanted look in her eyes, save Seira, who just looked resigned. A moment later, she found out why.  
  
"There he is!" Mika squealed, and every eye automatically turned to where she pointed. A startlingly handsome, if rather frazzled, young man in his mid-twenties was getting off the back of a familiar motorcycle and looking remarkably homicidal for so early in the morning.  
  
"Damn you, worthless nephew!" he yelled, and the driver laughed, shucking off his helmet to reveal- who else?- Makoto Obana, the self-declared sex god.  
  
"Makoto-kun?!" Kagome yelped in surprise, and his not-so-innocent little eyes lit up.  
  
"Kagome-chaaan!" Makoto cheered, rushing past his outraged ex-passenger and apparent uncle in a whirl of flowery and unnecessarily feminine shampoo to embrace said Kagome and annoy Seira, the lovely exterminator look-alike. "Ya came back! I was afraid ya'd been frightened away by yer growin' attraction ta me!"  
  
Hojou's sweet smile briefly tightened. "Mako-kun . . . " he said 'kindly.'  
  
"Oh, don't whine; I asked her out fair an' square," Makoto huffed. "Ain't my fault if 'Gome-chan likes bad boys, eh?"  
  
"Is that really what you want, Higurashi?" Hojou was clearly depressed, his big, loyal puppy dog eyes looking absolutely crushed. Kagome nearly died of guilt right there, and Makoto chose that rather inappropriate moment to cuddle up to her chest and let his hands go a-wandering southwards.  
  
The girl twitched. "OSUWARI!" she shrieked automatically, and Seira and Hojou simultaneously cracked up, causing the latter to accidentally drop Shikako on her rather delectable ass, which was the main reason he'd been holding her for so long anyway. Yes, even the naïve and so-sweet Hojou has his vices, and Shikako's tush was one of them. Of course, the rest all belonged to Kagome, if one chose to exclude certain slightly incestuous thoughts about Seira's legs, though admittedly Seira's legs attached to different people.  
  
"Yes, naughty puppy!" Seira of the extremely tempting legs crowed with no lack of mirth, delighting in the reference. "Be good, Makoto-kun, or Kagome will have to tie you up!"  
  
A wicked grin crossed Makoto's face, and between himself and Seira, the two managed to create a detailed outline for an impossibly kinky setting in less than thirty seconds as Hojou slowly turned redder and redder and Kagome tried VERY hard not to relate the oft-repeated term "doggy-style" with a certain stupid hanyou back in the feudal era. Incidentally, she failed miserably.  
  
"Hey!" a voice snapped as the ex-passenger's motorcycle helmet suddenly smacked Makoto in the back of the head.  
  
"Wow, Shindo-sensei! You're so cool!" the fangirls cheered. Makoto was unable to hide his slight pout upon hearing THAT little statement.  
  
His ex-passenger smirked and gave the less-than enthralled Seira, Kagome, Hojou, and Makoto all a very smug look. Kagome frowned slightly. This was the famed Shindo-sensei and Makoto's uncle? He looked mildly familiar . . . Hmm . . .  
  
Long black hair pulled back in a loose ponytail; self-assured, gloating expression; muscular frame and slightly pointed ears; a vague sense of Shikon shards coming from his legs . . .  
  
Kagome nearly fell over. "KOUGA-KUN?!" she squawked before she could stop herself.  
  
  
  
* tbc . . . *  
  
  
  
c1]ck 7h3 bu77on . . . j00 know j00 w4n7 700 . . . 


	5. Better the Bark Than the Bite

A/N: O_O Wow, so many reviews . . . *so flattered* I feel loved. *_* And loved authors write better stories. *hinthint*  
  
Sorry this wasn't up earlier. The 'Net was being evil-ish. :P  
  
  
  
"Better the Bark Than the Bite"  
  
  
  
Shindo blinked down at Kagome, cocking his head slightly, and she took a brief moment to panic before he collapsed.  
  
"Uncle Akitaka!" Makoto cried, concern flashing for an instant in his devil- may-care eyes as he jumped forward to support the stunned man.  
  
"No one has called me 'Kouga' since- since I don't even remember when," Kouga said faintly, staring at Kagome with an expression of faint horror.  
  
'Then he really IS Kouga,' Kagome realized in shock, covering her mouth with her hands. 'Not just another look-alike, like Makoto and Seira, but the real deal . . . not Kouga as I know him either; which means he's five hundred years older- and still alive?! No way!'  
  
"Who ARE you?!" Shindo demanded, pushing away from Makoto and glaring at Kagome.  
  
"Uh- Higurashi Kagome. Class three," she added meekly. Maybe it WASN'T Kouga after all. He didn't seem to recognize her. Then again, it was unlikely that he'd be expecting to see her after five centuries . . .  
  
" 'Higurashi'?" He scowled. "I've never heard of you."  
  
Kagome twitched. That . . . BASTARD! He really DIDN'T remember her?!  
  
As she resisted the urge to slap her new teacher silly, the bell rang and the group simultaneously panicked and ran for the doors.  
  
"Shindo-sensei," unsurprisingly, outstripped them all.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Kagome and the rest of the usual suspects (or at least reasonable facsimiles of them) all found themselves out in the hall that morning, even the uber-happy Makoto feeling less than pleased. Of course, that was probably more because Shikako and her cronies were draped over him while they had the chance to do so without being witnessed than because of any genuine distress on his part about getting into trouble.  
  
"Kagome-chan, Sei-chan . . . " Makoto cast them a desperate look. "HELP me."  
  
Seira just snorted and turned her back on him. Kagome rolled her eyes, but Hojou, evidently still stewing over his friend's impending date with his beloved Higurashi, didn't even bother to lift his from the shoujo manga he was reading.  
  
Yes, shoujo.  
  
"My record is ruined; I'm so screwed . . . " Seira wailed under her breath. "I won't get into a good school, I'll fail my college entrance exams and become a ronin, and then my parents will kick me out on the street and I'll DIE!"  
  
Kagome raised her eyebrows at the outburst. Seira Hojou was a very strange girl, alternating between being pathetically weak and a complete and total punk-ass bitch. Someone who'd been hazed to the point of tears the first day of classes but had no trouble standing up to bullies and bore a truly caustic tongue, she swooned over Makoto but grew jealous even more easily than Sango did.  
  
All in all, she seemed to be a rather hypocritical sort by nature, which puzzled Kagome to no end. But now that she finally had a chance to think straight for the first time all week, she wasn't going to waste it fussing over Seira's multiplying inconsistencies.  
  
'Let's see what we have so far,' she decided silently, laying out what had gone on since the first day of school in her mind.  
  
One: Saved from a ramen cart and certain death (dear LORD was she sick of ramen) by the ever-sexy Makoto Obana, who bore a more than remarkable resemblance to the ever-perverted Miroku and subsequently chose to ask her out.  
  
Two: Met up with the so-sweet Hojou once again when he saved her from Shikako's group (twice, at that) by being both very creepy and very sweet.  
  
Three: Witnessed the somewhat humiliating debut of Hojou Seira, the contradictory Sango look-alike, to Class 3.  
  
Four: Dragged off with the stupid hanyou and company on another fruitless shard search and missed most of the school week, during which Inu-Yasha, Miroku, and Sango had needed to save her from death/disembowelment no less than five and a half (don't ask) times. She was really getting quite tired of being the eternal damsel in distress, now that she thought of it.  
  
Five: Introduced to Makoto's alleged uncle, Shindo Akitaka, who was in fact NOT Shindo Akitaka but Kouga, the wolf youkai who she had last seen in the Warring States Era, which made about as much sense as treating a dead baboon as a fashion statement yet stubbornly refused to cease happening.  
  
God DAMN, she hated her life. Were things allowed to be this complicated on a day-to-day basis?  
  
Shindo-sensei stalked by with the attendance sheets and gave her a suspicious glare.  
  
Evidently yes, they were.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, back at the ranch . . . er, shrine . . . Souta was home from school with a headache and frolicking in the backyard while his mother was at work and grandfather partook in his daily allotment of silly spells, being careful not to stray too close to the wellhouse like a good boy.  
  
Yeah, right.  
  
The alleged "headache" was more from staying up past three and watching pirated American television shows than any virus. And as for the Bone Eater's Well, Souta and Buyo were currently sitting on the edge of it as the former debated the merits of running for his life and the youkai at the bottom gave them both a red-eyed death glare.  
  
  
  
* tbc . . . *  
  
  
  
. : 57rok3 4n 4u7hor'5 3go. r3v]3w 7h3 m4d 1337 57ory : . 


	6. High Stakes Fashion Show

A/N: New chapter- FINALLY. ^_^ Despite the evils of writer's block and my internet connection's stubborn refusal to come back from the dead, I have updated it! Bwaa-ha! I RULE!  
  
  
  
"High Stakes Fashion Show"  
  
  
  
"Hello," Souta said finally.  
  
The red-eyed death kitty meowed and Buyo swooned like a schoolboy.  
  
"Hello," the monk said with a faint smile. "Dreadfully sorry to drop in like this and all, but might you know where Inu-Yasha has run off to?"  
  
"Sorry, haven't seen him," Souta replied. "You coming out, or what?"  
  
"Kagome-chan would kill us," Sango muttered.  
  
"Only if Inu-Yasha didn't beat her to it," Shippou put in sourly.  
  
"An excellent idea, my boy!" Miroku said cheerfully, already sitting next to Souta and ignoring the exterminator and kitsune with unlikely ease. "Say, I don't suppose there are any nubile young ladies about at the moment, hmm?"  
  
"Nope, just me and Grandpa," Souta told him.  
  
Miroku looked crestfallen. "Really? Shoot, I wanted to meet a girl from Kagome-sama's world."  
  
"You could try her school," Souta suggested helpfully.  
  
"Another brilliant epiphany!" Miroku exclaimed in delight, clapping his hands together. "And knowing Inu-Yasha, he's sure to be there as well!"  
  
"Houshi-sama . . . " Sango growled in exasperation, clambering up over the side of the well.  
  
"Do you want to sit around all day waiting for them?" Miroku asked rhetorically.  
  
"Of course not, but-!" she protested. Too late: he was already gone. "Houshi-sama, you idiot!" she yelled, running after him. "We can't go out there dressed like this!"  
  
"Then we won't!" he called back, and the pair disappeared inside the house, evidently to go closet raiding.  
  
Kirara raised her kitty eyebrows and gave Buyo and Souta a dubious look.  
  
"So," Souta said finally, turning to Shippou. "Wanna play catch or something?"  
  
"'Kay." The kitsune shrugged. "Kirara's the ball."  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
It was lunchtime, and Kagome was having some degree of difficulty avoiding her friends, her enemies, and their questions. The name "Kouga" kept coming up, and with it uncomfortable queries. This was not a good thing, for obvious reasons.  
  
Neither was looking up and finding Inu-Yasha in the tree she was eating lunch under.  
  
"What in HELL are you doing?!" she shrieked, and the hanyou dropped down on top of her.  
  
"Looking for you, bitch!" he yelled.  
  
"I SAID I'd come back on Saturday; now buzz off!" Kagome shouted, throwing her lunchbox at his face. Unfortunately, he caught it and began to devour its contents. "Hey!"  
  
"What, no ramen?" Inu-Yasha gave the box an annoyed look, and Kagome struggled to repress the desire to sit him all the way to China. While doing so, it occurred to her that he was not wearing the usual feudal ensemble, but instead a red trenchcoat, black fedora, and combat boots; which might've passed for something akin to an acceptable outfit had they not been in the middle of a schoolyard. His hair was even braided- very bishounen.  
  
Inu-Yasha idly twirled his rosary around his gloved fingers for a second, thoughtfully regarding the remains of Kagome's decimated lunch. Finally, he tossed it about fifty meters over his shoulder (Kagome was momentarily gratified to see it hit Shikako in the back of the head), and turned serious eyes to Kagome's, lowering violet-tinted sunglasses and making her stomach do the queasy thing.  
  
She really WAS out of it lately- it had taken her a good three minutes to see that her boyfriend (stop, rewind, DELETE) the jerk was dressed up like a cross between Vash the Stampede and Duo Maxwell, with just a hint of steampunk fashion thrown in for spice.  
  
"Where did you GET that?" she asked finally, and Inu-Yasha's expression immediately brightened (well, for Inu-Yasha at least).  
  
The hanyou jumped to his feet and very smugly strutted in front of Kagome a few times. "Your gramps gave me a slice of plastic to get some native clothes a while back, just in case I ever needed 'em," he explained smugly. "Now, worship me; for I possess snazzy sunglasses and a funky trenchcoat and can make random scenes go flowery and/or pastel-colored on whim."  
  
'No more anime for Inu-Yasha,' Kagome silently decided. Then he pulled a bouquet of roses out of his coat and dropped them in her lap with a dazzling and very out of character smile. ' . . . well, okay, maybe just a LITTLE.'  
  
"Uh, not ta interrupt romantic cliché #206 or whatever, but can I borrow yer notes, Kagome-chan?" Makoto inquired dryly as he suddenly walked up with all the dramatic timing of any sex god/plot device, and Inu-Yasha blinked at him in disbelief. Kagome started silently panicking.  
  
" . . . You cut your hair," the hanyou remarked after a long, awkward silence.  
  
"Why's everybody keep SAYIN' that?" Makoto complained. "Geez, if it's such a damned problem I'll just grow it out again!"  
  
"Kagome . . . " Inu-Yasha began in his "this is a very suspicious situation I am observing and you'd damn well better be able to explain each and every nuance of it" tone.  
  
"Ah, this is Obana Makoto, Inu-Yasha!" Kagome said hurriedly. "Makoto-kun, this is Inu-Yasha. My . . . um . . . something I can't make up right now."  
  
Inu-Yasha GLARED. "This is the guy who gave you a ride to school?" he demanded of Kagome. "Well, I see where the reference to the bozou came from now. They look enough alike to be the same person."  
  
He quirked a questioning eyebrow at Kagome and she slapped her forehead as she realized what he was implying. 'Kagome no BAKA!' she screamed mentally. 'Of COURSE they're reincarnations- how hard was THAT to figure out?!' And as Kagome went on mentally berating herself, Shindo Akitaka strolled by and things got more screwed up.  
  
Shindo/Kouga/whoever he was today clamped a hand down on Inu- Yasha's shoulder, demanding, "Kid, what do you think you're trying to pull in that get-up? Get in uniform!"  
  
Inu-Yasha turned to face the teacher and blinked in mild surprise. "What're YOU doing here?" he asked in disbelief.  
  
"He's a TEACHER, you idiot!" Kagome hissed, but Shindo looked just as shocked to see Inu-Yasha as the other was to see him.  
  
"You're supposed to be dead," he said weakly.  
  
"You wish!" Inu-Yasha snapped, automatic response kicking in. "Please tell me you aren't bugging Kagome again!"  
  
Makoto's eyebrows went UP. "Excuse me?"  
  
" 'Again' . . . ?" Shindo repeated in confusion. Then a slow, dismayed look of understanding dawned on his face and he suddenly looked very old. "That Kagome's dead, Inu-Yasha," he said quietly, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders, and Kagome raised her own eyebrows when she heard him use the hanyou's given name.  
  
"What are you going off about?" Inu-Yasha demanded.  
  
"Just . . . come with me, okay? We need to have a little talk," Shindo said carefully in a tone with which one might talk to a lunatic. "You wouldn't mind, right, Kagome?" He gave her an imploring look and she understood what was going through his mind.  
  
He thought Inu-Yasha was five hundred years older and had gone senile. Maybe he'd seen him a few times over the centuries; maybe not- the fact was, he remembered the hanyou and seemed acquainted with the concept of insanity.  
  
How long COULD you live without losing your mind, anyway?  
  
But still . . .  
  
"Osuwari," she said simply, and Inu-Yasha hit the ground with an outraged yowl, his rosary flashing bright blue.  
  
"The hell . . . ?!" Makoto choked, nearly falling over.  
  
Shindo paled considerably. " . . . Makoto. Leave," he whispered.  
  
"What?!" Makoto exclaimed. "No way! What's goin' ON here?!"  
  
"Some old friends are getting together," Kagome replied softly, never looking away from Shindo's rigid form. "It's okay, Makoto- kun. I'll explain later- I promise."  
  
A troubled look crossed the boy's face, but he finally just shrugged. "Whatever, 'Gome-chan," he said with false disinterest. "I'll bug off if ya want me ta. Catch ya after school."  
  
As soon as Makoto was well and truly out of earshot and bothering Hojou again, Kagome turned back- just in time to be swept up into a crushing embrace by Shindo, incidentally. Inu- Yasha might've protested (read: ripped out his marrow), but the wolf youkai began to sob before he could even stand again, and Kagome quickly returned the hug.  
  
"Kouga-kun," she said worriedly.  
  
"I've finally gone insane, haven't I," the youkai mumbled, burying his face in her hair and breathing deeply. "Your scent, though . . . I had forgotten- but this is it. This is you. You're alive."  
  
"Yeah, Kouga-kun," Kagome replied quietly. "This is me."  
  
  
  
* tbc . . . *  
  
  
  
. : review. it's your patriotic duty as a would-be citizen of Japan : . 


	7. Further Fun With Dress Up Dolls

A/N: Seventh installment, and still the main plot has yet to be explained. ^_^;; Methinks I may need to get going on that- or at least throw in some shameless fanservice. Preferences, anyone?  
  
  
  
  
  
"Further Fun With Dress-Up Dolls"  
  
  
  
  
  
Being as Makoto was a damned liar and Hojou an insanely inconvenient person, both of them were currently up the tree Inu- Yasha had previously been and eavesdropping like mad, being clever bastards and sneaking up while Shindo was hugging Kagome and Inu-Yasha was sulking. Makoto was mostly focused on his uncle (and a little bit on looking down Kagome's shirt), while Hojou was focused exclusively on looking down Kagome's shirt. Fuck idealism and naiveté, no boy was stupid enough to miss a chance like that.  
  
So the duo heard the entire conversation (understanding only the words "I," "you're," and "you") and filed it away for a later date upon which it would most likely blow up in someone's face. Then Kagome and the other two walked off and Seira caught them.  
  
"You idiots, what are you DOING up there?!" Seira yelled.  
  
"Spyin'," Makoto chirped at the same time Hojou said, "Looking down Higurashi's shirt."  
  
Seira was more inclined to believe her cousin than the lecher and promptly threw her bookbag right in Makoto's face. "Pervert!" she fumed.  
  
"Yah, I love ya too," he retorted dryly, barely keeping himself from falling the ten feet to the ground.  
  
Seira blushed brilliantly and threw her shoe at him. Makoto caught it and inspected it critically.  
  
"This is bran'-new," he observed with a resigned sigh.  
  
"You get 'hazed' again?" Hojou asked dubiously.  
  
"Yup." Seira smirked. "Third year girl- the same one I was fighting the first day of school."  
  
"This really ain't the healthiest way ta let off steam," Makoto complained. "One o' these days, someone's goin' ta figure out that all these so-called 'bullies' are the ones gettin' beat up."  
  
"Well, they deserve it," she protested. "They WOULD'VE hazed me if I hadn't beaten them up."  
  
"But yer shoes STILL had to go the route of the incinerator so nobody'd find out ya were in a fight, so what was the point?" Makoto pointed out. "I dunno why it's such a big deal, Sei- chan; lots o' people're schoolyard punks an' grow up perfectly respectable."  
  
"They do?" Hojou blinked at him.  
  
"You know damn well what the big deal is, Mako-kun," Seira snapped. "I've never taken a karate lesson in my life!"  
  
"It's brawlin', not martial arts!" Makoto exclaimed.  
  
"How many times am I going to have to explain this?!" Seira demanded. "Even the best brawlers can't use techniques that they've never practiced!"  
  
"So what does that make you?" Hojou wondered, giving her a curious look as he ran his hands through his hair.  
  
"Tell me when you figure it out," she retorted grimly.  
  
  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
"Ooo, wear THIS one, Sango!" Miroku begged, holding up a miniskirt he'd snitched out of Kagome's dresser. "It would be so cute!"  
  
"You're joking, right?" she demanded, glaring icily at him.  
  
"But you've got such fantastic legs, Sango," he complained. "You shouldn't hide them all the time!"  
  
"The day you run around in something that shows off YOUR legs that much, I'll wear it," she snapped.  
  
The monk instantly brightened. "Okay!" he chirped, eagerly diving back into the closet.  
  
Sango twitched. "Why do I encourage him?" she wondered aloud in a resigned voice.  
  
"Because you just adore me that much," he said confidently, resurfacing in a gaudy Hawaiian shirt, gym shorts, and sandals. The outfit clashed hideously, and of course he loved it.  
  
"You are an utter idiot," Sango said flatly.  
  
"But I'm still a remarkably attractive utter idiot!" he crowed triumphantly. Unfortunately, Sango had to agree, and she slipped into the bathroom to change into the skirt- somehow she already knew that he'd run off without her if she didn't, and no doubt still in that hideous shirt.  
  
When she returned, however, she found Miroku naked and struggling to master the fine art of fashion while stuck with the difficult choice between denim shorts and denim cut-offs. Cue the exterminator's blush and furious shriek; cue the startled monk toppling over onto the floor.  
  
"You could've knocked," he said dryly.  
  
"You could've kept your CLOTHES on!" she screamed.  
  
"Where's the fun in that?" Miroku asked in bemusement. A few sound slaps later, they were both finally dressed- Miroku in jeans and a white tank top and Sango in the detested skirt and an oversized sweater.  
  
"Kagome-chan certainly has a diverse closet," Sango muttered, returning the unused clothes to their hangers.  
  
"Indeed," Miroku agreed, calmer now that they were both fully clothed again and soon to be on their way to track down Kagome and Inu-Yasha. "Perhaps some of these clothes were purchased for Inu-Yasha . . .? Hm, I suppose we'll have to leave the weapons here," he added with a slight frown, changing the subject completely.  
  
"Don't worry, I have a few blades under my sweater," Sango informed him as they headed down the stairs. "Just try to stick close to me if anything looks dangerous."  
  
"You're my hero, Sango," he said in amusement, pulling his ponytail out and sliding on a pair of tinted sunglasses he'd found on the hall table. "Now then, my dear exterminator- how best to track down our erstwhile companions?"  
  
"How else?" she asked with a snort. "Just follow the sound of chaos. Inu-Yasha's sure to be causing a ruckus."  
  
  
  
  
  
* tbc . . . *  
  
  
  
  
  
. : r3v]3w; ]7'5 good phor j00 : . 


	8. Kiss Me, Houshi!

A/N: Whoo, finally updated! Sorry, guys, but lately I've been on a bit of a one-shot kick, as well as writing in both a Gundam Wing fic and a Wish/Card Captor Sakura crossover. However, I've written an extra-long installment this time, so hopefully that'll help make up for it, eh?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Kiss Me, Houshi!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"So, Kagome," Kouga said finally, "Can you please explain why you never bothered to tell me that you were immortal?" He, said Kagome, and the ever pissed-off but currently quite bishounen Inu-Yasha-in-a-trenchcoat were currently tucked away in a corner of the cafeteria. In said corner, the contents of Kouga's wallet had all gone towards more food for the Inu-Yasha-in-a- trenchcoat, who apparently hadn't been satisfied with Kagome's lunch.  
  
"Um, I thought you'd be dead by now?" Kagome tried weakly. "But I'm not immortal, Kouga-kun, just, um . . . local."  
  
"Meaning . . . ?" the youkai inquired dryly.  
  
"Why don't YOU explain how these idiot humans," the Inu-Yasha-in- a-trenchcoat jerked his head to indicate the disinterested people surrounding them in the cafeteria, "can't see you for what you are?"  
  
"Easy." Kouga shrugged. "Even you should know that no one believes in youkai anymore, Inu-Yasha. They don't see what they don't want to see. So if my eyes look a little odd or my ears seemed slightly pointed, they dismiss it as a quirk of genetics and get used to it and the odd company I keep. After all, even you are walking around with hardly a glance in your direction."  
  
"Oh, come on!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed in disgust, slamming a fist on the table. "I'm not stupid, I can see how your body has changed! Yeah, maybe your ears are still a little pointed, but a hell of a lot less so than before, and your tail's completely gone! How do we even know that you're really him?!"  
  
Kagome could see his point. The differences were relatively subtle, but definitely there. But still, those defiant, flat blue eyes . . .  
  
Kagome had no trouble believing that those were Kouga's eyes.  
  
"You idiot!" Kouga groaned. "I never had a tail, that was just part of the pelt I used to wear around my waist!"  
  
"Really? Are you sure?" Kagome asked, blinking in surprise. "I thought it was real, like Sesshoumaru's."  
  
"Wha- No!" Kouga squawked.  
  
"Damn shame; that thing was cute," she muttered. Kouga turned bright red and Inu-Yasha gagged on his food.  
  
"What the FUCK, bitch?!" he yelled.  
  
"Osuwari," Kagome said automatically.  
  
And down went the dog demon. Boom.  
  
"So, whatever happened to Ayame?" Kagome asked conversationally as Inu-Yasha yanked himself out of the soup.  
  
Kouga palled and said nothing.  
  
"Oh, Kouga-kun, I'm sorry!" Kagome cried, realizing that the other youkai must have died after all this time.  
  
"Yeah, we got hitched," Kouga said gloomily, slumping down in his seat.  
  
Kagome twitched. "What?!" she yelped.  
  
"Ooo . . . " Inu-Yasha winced. "Shit, Kouga, you poor bastard."  
  
"We have sixty-three children," the wolf wailed, burying his face in his arms and whimpering.  
  
Inu-Yasha snickered. "Awww, did the puppy get old and whipped?"  
  
"Fuck off, dogface," Kouga growled, throwing a straw wrapper at the other. "Okay, Kagome, let's move on. Why are you not dead right now?"  
  
"Umm . . . " Kagome blushed. "Just because?" she tried.  
  
"Somehow I find that unenlightening," Kouga retorted dryly. "Come on, Kagome- don't I deserve a straight answer?"  
  
"Oh crap, guilt," Kagome moaned. "Damn it."  
  
"Just tell him!" Inu-Yasha snapped.  
  
"I'm TRYING!" she shrieked. "But I can't just blurt it out like- "  
  
"There's a well in the back of the bitch's house that lets her travel from this time period to the Warring States era," Inu- Yasha said calmly. "She uses it to track down the Shikon Shards and fight Naraku with us."  
  
"Is that all?" Kouga blinked. "Big deal; you could've mentioned that sooner."  
  
Kagome twitched again and dearly wished that she'd had an extra rosary in her pocket.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*DING-DONG* sounded through the Higurashi household for the third time.  
  
"Er," Miroku said eloquently.  
  
"Just open the door, Houshi-sama!" Sango hissed, flicking two daggers out of her sleeves and into her hands even as she stepped to the side of it. They had been about to exit the house when the doorbell had inexplicably rung, and neither had taken the shock well.  
  
"Are you certain that's a good idea?" The monk was clearly skeptical.  
  
"Kagome-chan said that's what the bell is for!" Sango snapped. "You ring it if you want permission to come inside!"  
  
"Very well," he said doubtfully. Miroku reached out to open it with his un-cursed hand; the knot of the cursed one's sheath in his mouth and ready to be ripped away in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, a lot of enemies moved faster than that, as they both knew with depressing certainty.  
  
Fortunately, none of those were present. As the door swung in, a frantic middle-aged woman bustled in with a toddler and a cry of "Thank God, someone's here!" Then she gave Miroku a suspicious look. "Shouldn't you be in school, Makoto-kun?"  
  
" . . . Yes?" Miroku guessed helplessly even as she shoved the child into his arms.  
  
"He's had his nap, but no lunch yet, and oh, honey, I'm SO sorry to dump him on you like this but there's an emergency at the restaurant and I couldn't get a hold of anyone at all, please just watch him, I'll be back as soon as I can!" she said in a rush. Miroku idly wondered if she didn't need to breathe.  
  
"Mister!" the toddler crooned, tugging on the monk's ponytail. "Mister, 'm hungryyy!"  
  
"Akira-chan, don't whine!" the woman scolded. "Makoto-kun, I should be back after dinner hour, alright? If Akito's girlfriend kicks you out, you can go to our place- just call me if you can, okay?" With that, she raced out without even shutting the door.  
  
Miroku blinked. "Um?"  
  
The door swung shut, revealing Sango and her very puzzled expression behind it. "Who on earth was that?"  
  
"You think I know, Sango?" Miroku shrugged. "I'm more concerned with who 'Makoto-kun' and 'Akito's girlfriend' are supposed to be. I'm assuming that 'Akira' is the child's name . . . "  
  
"That's right- she DID call you Makoto, didn't she," Sango recalled with a slight frown, slipping her daggers back into her sleeves. "I wonder why? The child doesn't seem to recognize you."  
  
"Mister, Mister!" Akira exclaimed. "Wha's yer name?"  
  
"Uh, Miroku," the monk replied. "And the lovely lady is Sango the exterminator."  
  
"Wha's she 'sterminate?" the boy asked.  
  
"Youkai," Miroku answered.  
  
"Cooool!" Akira crowed. "I wanna 'sterminate youkai!"  
  
"Maybe later," Miroku told him. "For now, though, there is a youkai you can help us find. Would you like that?"  
  
"Yay!" the child cheered.  
  
"I'll take that as a yes," Miroku decided, and reopened the door.  
  
"This is not going to end well," Sango muttered. "Houshi-sama, you can't seriously expect us to take a child along!"  
  
"Would you rather leave it here with Shippou and Souta?" Miroku asked reasonably.  
  
" . . . good point," Sango admitted ruefully, tightening up her ponytail. "Ah well, I'll have to keep my guard up then. It's just as well."  
  
"Besides, he's cute," Miroku added, adjusting the child's weight on his hip. Akira giggled. Sango just snorted.  
  
"Feed me!" Akira demanded (in an endearing way, of course, as Sango was beginning to suspect he did everything).  
  
"You know where the kitchen is?" Miroku glanced to Sango.  
  
"Afraid not," she told him, heading towards the interior of the house. "We'll just have to go find it."  
  
"Lovely." He sighed. "It could be anywhere."  
  
"Or it could be in the next room," Sango added a moment later, withdrawing her head from said room.  
  
" . . . oh." Miroku blushed. "Well, yes, if you want to look in all the OBVIOUS places, sure it is."  
  
Akira giggled again. "'roku-kun silly," he cooed.  
  
The monk stuck out his tongue at him. "Am not."  
  
"Kiss me!" Akira demanded, and promptly smacked his lips against Miroku's in the usual inexplicable way that toddlers do. Sango audibly growled.  
  
"Such an endearing little girl!" Miroku gushed. "Will you bear my child, Akira-chan?"  
  
"Houshi-sama!" Sango shrieked. "It's a BOY!"  
  
"Is it really?" Miroku blinked at the child. "With pretty hair like that?" He fingered the child's glossy, shoulder-length locks doubtfully. "Red," he murmured. "That's quite rare . . . "  
  
"It is lovely," Sango agreed with a small sigh of resignation, stepping up and petting Akira's head as well. Her fingers tangled with Miroku's for an instant. The two jerked away from each other simultaneously and both furiously pretended that nothing had happened.  
  
Akira giggled again and grabbed a hold of Miroku's loosened hair. "Pretty lady!" he purred, licking the monk's cheek. Had it not been very disturbing, Sango reflected, it might have been cute.  
  
"To Kagome-sama's school, then!" Miroku declared, wisely changing the subject before Sango got jealous of the three year- old.  
  
He was too late, of course, but then again, he always was.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* tbc . . . *  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
. : review. what, i need to say more? : . 


	9. Games of Chance

A/N: Okay, last chappie was not my best work, I'll admit it. -_-;; To be honest, I feel kind of bad about it, because I should not have posted until I had the thing perfect. So I absolutely SLAVED over this installment and gotten some real forward motion with the plot in to make it up to you! *cue blazing fires of passion*  
  
Plus, somebody you've all been waiting for is in here . . . ^__^ *evil snicker*  
  
By the way, "ja ken pon" is basically the same thing thing as "rock, paper, scissors."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Games of Chance"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Ueda-kun!" Hojou called, catching a random classmate by the shoulder in the hallway. "Have you seen Higurashi? Or Shindo- sensei? Or, um, a weird guy in a red trenchcoat, maybe?"  
  
"No," the other boy answered, giving him a slightly annoyed glance. "Do release me, Hojou-kun. I believe the bones in my wrist are starting to grind together."  
  
"Er, right- sorry." Hojou smiled at him apologetically and did so. "I didn't mean to grab you that hard. Are you okay?"  
  
The other just sneered. "I'm not a child," he scoffed.  
  
"I didn't mean- It's just, I'm a little stronger than I look." Hojou laughed sheepishly. "Sometimes I hurt people accidentally."  
  
"I assure you," Ueda Katsuya replied coolly, hooking a strand of lightly colored hair behind a slightly pointed ear, "there is nothing that you could do to harm me, Hojou-kun."  
  
At this point, if Makoto had been present, he would've gotten something very similar to "the heebie-jeebies", which are more or less all that remains of humankind's natural instincts. A million years ago, being in the presence of Katsuya would have seemed very much like being in the presence of a very large and very hungry wolf.  
  
Hojou Akito, however, lacked such instincts to the point of being a creature that would've been literally suicidal in said time period. In almost ANY time period, to be frank. The redhead had not been designed to have a suspicious nature.  
  
Luckily, Makoto wasn't with him, so Ueda had no reason to attack and both of them simply went on their merry ways: Ueda to class, and Hojou to the same place he always seemed to end up- Kagome's. Less luckily, the fruitless search for said Kagome was about to lead Hojou somewhere he really ought not to be going without those survival instincts. And perhaps a sword of some sort might've been useful too.  
  
But this was Hojou Akito, and the thought of carrying any kind of a weapon would never have occurred to him.  
  
Which really was quite a shame, all things considered. Because this time the youkai waiting by the well was not Kirara.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
To put it nicely, Sesshoumaru was somewhat put out.  
  
To put it less politely and more correctly, Sesshoumaru was fucking pissed.  
  
Rin and Jaken had luckily stayed at home for this excursion, or else he might've wound up doing something to them to be regretted later. So instead the trees had suffered his rage- and Kikyou, of course. But she was already dead anyway.  
  
Technically, now that he thought of it, so was Rin, but that wasn't the point at all.  
  
So Kikyou was annoyed with Sesshoumaru, and Sesshoumaru was annoyed with Kikyou, and both were proving terribly inept at plotting a suitable death for Inu-Yasha. 'Cause, y'know, that was what they did on weekends. And with any one and anywhere else, it would've been a date.  
  
But they were indeed Sesshoumaru and Kikyou, and they were indeed sitting on the opposite sides of the Bone Eater's Well. They hadn't met purposefully and had no desire to work together, but when the scent/aura of your half-brother/ex-boyfriend stops very suddenly by a shallow well and the only other person for miles is his ex-girlfriend/half-brother, there's not much else to do but sit around swapping hanyou-hunting stories and the like.  
  
Well, that and wait for said hanyou and his bitch to come back so you can kill them.  
  
The figures that finally clambered out of the well, however, were not exactly what they'd expected.  
  
"Mew," said Buyo.  
  
"Mew," said Kirara.  
  
"Uh-oh," muttered Souta.  
  
"Shit," moaned Shippou.  
  
Kikyou and Sesshoumaru glanced briefly at each other.  
  
"I'll take the human," Sesshoumaru said finally. Souta gulped.  
  
"Then I'll take the kitsune," Kikyou decided. "Ja ken pon for the little kitties?"  
  
"Alright," Sesshoumaru agreed with a shrug.  
  
The children cringed.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The universe is very picky.  
  
For example, it doesn't particularly mind if you destroy it, but there are RULES you have to follow while doing so. You can't be kind to animals or have a normal name like Hiroshi or Naoko. You have to kick puppies and be called something like Lord Skellatrix or Empress Death-o-matic. And no WAY can you have a happy home life in some cozy apartment complex- you'll need to kill off all your family and move into the nearest available impregnable fortress (complete with a convenient sewer for heroes to sneak in through and one-size-fits-all uniforms and face-concealing helmets for your henchmen to completely defeat the purpose).  
  
Because there are rules. Ways to balance things out. For every purely evil creature in this world, there must be one who is just as pure as it is evil to combat it. Even if they never meet, that person must still exist, because there must always be a chance. It's a godsend to the underdog, but horribly ironic when you're on the wrong end.  
  
And that, in a very roundabout way of explaining it, is why Miroku was good with children.  
  
Naraku's curse made it so that if he ever had a child of his own, it would be doomed to die in a very painful way. Yet if he never had it, no vengeance could ever be taken for those already dead. Children were, to Miroku, both salvation and damnation.  
  
So with irony and the universe being what they were, Miroku possessed an uncanny knack with anything that had yet to hit puberty. Akira was no exception. He adored Miroku and clung to the monk like lichen.  
  
Sango didn't know the rules of the universe, but would've cheerfully slit the throat of whoever had made them at this point, because the sight of the adorable Akira drew nubile young women like an electromagnet, and Miroku's natural charm kept 'em there. For some reason, they even found the "will you bear my child?" line to be endearing and amusing.  
  
The exterminator was this close to snapping.  
  
Luckily for Miroku and Akira's fangirls, before she had a chance to they found Kagome's school.  
  
Or rather, it found them.  
  
"Makoto-sama!" Shikako gushed, literally welding herself to Miroku's side. "There you are!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* tbc . . . *  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
. : review or die! : . 


	10. The Heroes of the Story

A/N: Minor problem. Lately, it's been frankly difficult for me to write in my current projects, and I am seriously considering putting them all on hiatus and just focusing on one or two until they're complete. It's hard to decide which fics to use for this, so I kind of need feedback if any of you have a preference.  
  
But for now . . . YES, finally finished this chappie! -^__^- This is one of my favorite fics- I just love the reincarnation plotlines. Yes, it's done to death, but . . . I don't CARE! XD *basks in joy of finished chappie for one brief and shining moment*  
  
Now, where'd I leave that last chapter of "Things Worth Dying For" . . . *mumblemumble*  
  
Note to warriorGL: If you DO draw that picture, send me a copy, yah? ^_^ I would love to see it!  
  
415o, |\|o73 700 KevinEC: j35, mj 1337 ]5 qu]73 horr]d, ]5|\|'7 ]7. -^__^- Mw4|-|4|-|4. R34d o|\|, mj c|-|]1d!  
"The Heroes of the Story"  
Hojou was politely puzzled.  
  
To be honest, he spent a great deal of his time in a similar state- especially whilst in the presence of one Higurashi Kagome- but this was a different sort of puzzlement. This was the sort that comes with seeing two little boys and their kitties sneak into an old wellhouse in your crush's backyard and not come out again.  
  
Admittedly, this might've been less troubling if said wellhouse's doorway weren't currently glowing electric blue.  
  
On the back porch of the Higurashi home, Hojou was sprawled, all angles and the sort of burning curiosity that often renders those of the feline persuasion inert. He was even cutting class. If it weren't for his remarkably innocent eyes and neatly buttoned shirt and jacket, he would've made a perfect bishounen pin-up for the title page of one of those shoujo manga with heroines who tend to wear a lot of pink and have very perky . . . pigtails.  
  
Ahem.  
  
But sadly, this was not to be. Instead, Hojou and his cat- killing curiosity decided that it might be fun to go see where those boys and their kitties had gotten off to and why the wellhouse was currently lit up like a . . . well, like an ominously lit-up wellhouse, for lack of a more suitable allegory. Hojou was not known for his creativity, except when thinking up new and unusual cure-all gifts for Kagome.  
  
So off trotted Hojou to have a look-see. And with drama being so darn dramatic, and the universe being what it is, he quite promptly discovered the well as the source of the glow and hopped right in to see why.  
  
Now, we all remember what the universe is like, don't we? How everything balances out in the end; how there's always one last chance? How something pure and good always seems to stumble across something dark and wicked, or at least always exists with the possibility of stumbling across them?  
  
Almost everything in the universe has at least one natural enemy, no matter how kind or naïve they may themselves be. A hungry wolf will snap up even the fluffiest of bunnies if it doesn't watch its back.  
  
Yet, Hojou Akito had yet to encounter such a creature. Somehow, over the years, he had slipped past the bullies and avoided the gossips on an instinctive level. He was moderately popular- enough so that none of the really "with-it" kids teased him- and at the same time, not popular enough to get dragged into the animosity that existed between the in-crowd and their natural enemies, the school punks and the "normals."  
  
He would've fit in anywhere, to be honest, if it weren't for that odd hair . . . Most people assumed he dyed it for some semblance of rebellion in the perfect student and son.  
  
They were quite wrong.  
  
First of all, Hojou was a natural redhead despite his purely Japanese ancestry.  
  
Secondly, he was far from the perfect son. Oh, he acted the part well enough, but lately . . . lately . . .  
  
He had been Thinking. Not just a mere observation of events, but really and truly Thinking.  
  
And he was starting to see the value of taking a mental health day from reality every now and then- among other things.  
  
And it just so happens that Hojou Akito is getting closer and closer to meeting that natural enemy of his, and it is not going to be a pleasant experience- mostly because he's going to find out that it is, quite literally, himself.  
  
But to be honest, his current situation is more Kagome's fault than the universe's (meaning that nothing could be proved, though one might suspect its indirect involvement). Normally people can't just pass willy-nilly through the well unless there's a damn good reason. And when I say damn good, I mean DAMN good- simple things like matters of life and death cut no ice with the Bone Eater's Well.  
  
But Kagome is the one who dropped a shard of the Shikon Jewel at the bottom of it the last time she left the Warring States Era and Inu-Yasha told her something that she really didn't want to know. So if it weren't for her, random members of the cast wouldn't have been switching time periods for a lark all day, Souta and Kirara wouldn't be trapped in Sesshoumaru's fluff, Shippou and Buyo wouldn't be trudging after an unusually-cheery Kikyou, and Hojou most certainly would not be about to find himself cast in the role of the Hero of the Story, complete with Perky Sidekicks and a Disagreeable-But-Beautiful Love Interest.  
  
Maybe if we're lucky, he'll get really sweaty and lose his shirt in a fight like Inu-Yasha always does.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Inu-Yasha was impolitely puzzled.  
  
Which is a nice way of saying, "confused and pissed as hell."  
  
"Are you telling me," he began slowly, "that there are Shikon shards here, that you have known this for a week, and that you never bothered to TELL me?"  
  
"Well, if you want to blunt about it . . ." Kagome muttered.  
  
Inu-Yasha twitched. "You bitch. Where are they?!" he demanded.  
  
Kouga shrugged lightly. "Here and there," he said dismissively. "No one really looks for them anymore, but most of the more powerful youkai know where the larger collections are."  
  
Inu-Yasha looked ready to gut somebody. Indecision over which of the two people sharing his table ought to die first was the only thing that kept him from doing so.  
  
"Why did everyone stop looking?" Kagome asked.  
  
"You would be amazed by how fucking quickly a youkai showing off all his pretty Shikon shard-granted powers gets dead in this era," Kouga told her, sipping at his lukewarm coffee. "Nowadays, one miko can easily kick the shit out of almost any one of us. They've gotten so much stronger while we've had to hide and fade away. I'm one of the oldest lords left now."  
  
"Are you joking?" Inu-Yasha stared at him. "You're only, what, five or six centuries old?!"  
  
"Personally, that seems like a while to ME," Kagome said dryly.  
  
Inu-Yasha shook his head. "Not for a youkai lord, idiot," he replied irritably. "It's a title you come into if you survive long enough to get strong enough to defeat another lord. And you have to live pretty damn long to pull that off."  
  
"Not anymore," Kouga said, looking slightly wistful. "There are hardly any full-blooded youkai left in Japan . . . In fact, in a few cases, even half-breeds have risen to the rank of lords."  
  
Inu-Yasha bristled slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?!" he demanded angrily.  
  
"That we youkai are so weakened that even a bastard child without so much as a magic sword to his name can defeat us," Kouga retorted flatly. "I wasn't trying to insult you personally, I was just saying that logically, most half-breeds shouldn't be able to outfight a pureblooded youkai- and certainly not a lord."  
  
"He is right, Inu-Yasha," Kagome pointed out. "I mean, you're really strong, but surely not every hanyou had parents like yours. Some of them must've come from . . . well, you know- ordinary woman and lesser youkai."  
  
"You mean rape," Inu-Yasha translated flatly.  
  
"Well, yeah," she confessed, wincing slightly. "I mean, it's not like a lot of the humans who hate youkai don't have a REASON to."  
  
"Mm," Kouga replied neutrally, retreating to his coffee cup again. "Imagine that." A slightly awkward silence descended over the table as Kagome ran out of things to say and Inu-Yasha tucked into the ramen again.  
  
"So," Kagome said finally. "Sixty-three kids, huh?"  
  
"Yup," Kouga answered, nodding slightly.  
  
"Cool."  
* tbc . . . *  
. : 7|-|3 1337 |-|47|-| r37ur|\|3d. |\|ow r3v]ew, j00 : . 


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